Betty Eagleton
Elizabeth "Betty" Eagleton, nee Prendagast is a character in Emmerdale. She is one of the village busybodies and made her first appearance in Episode 1859 (12th April 1994) and rekindled her love for her former old flame Seth Armstrong. She is the second longest serving female character after Victoria Sugden who was born a few weeks before Betty first arrived. Although Betty did not appear on the show inbetween December 2011 and July 2012. She is played by Paula Tilbrook, who is the current longest serving actress in the show. In late 2011 Betty went on a cruise. She returned on the 16th July 2012. Biography Backstory Betty Prendagast was born in Beckindale on the 22nd January, the year is only known to her as she is very reticent about her age. She has said she was born in 1934 but she almost married Seth Armstrong in 1944 and it is very unlikely she would have got married at 10. Her parents were Arthur and Nora Prendegast and she had a sister Margaret Prendegast. Betty left Beckindale in the early 1950s to work as a tiller girl in London, and she was also on the game. She met a man called Reggie Wilkie and he got her pregnant and she had an abortion which made her unable to have any more children in the future. She then returned to Beckindale and married old schoolfriend Wally Eagleton in 1954. After 39 years of marriage Wally Eagleton died and Betty returned to Beckindale after years of living in Filey. On the night of the plane crash on the 30th December that year her old flame Seth Armstrong sought refuge at her house after he returned to his home to find it had been destroyed. 1994-2011 Betty turned up in the Woolpack in April 1994. She soon rekindled her love with Seth Armstrong and in Christmas 1994 they held a 1940s theme night at the Woolpack. Betty soon became known as one the the village busybodies. She caught Tina Dingle collecting some of Luke McAllisters belongings after his death in an accident and accused her of stealing from the dead. Betty was against Zoe Tate's 1996 lesbian marriage to Emma Nightingale and tried to call it off. In 1997 Betty wanted to be in a local Spice Girls tribute band but Kelly Windsor said we did not want "Wrinkly Spice" in the group. In May 1999 Alan sacked Betty from the Woolpack only to take her back on before announcing he was selling the pub. In January 2000, Betty's ex Reggie turned up in the village. It transpired that they had known each other when Betty was working as a tiller girl in London in the 1950s. Betty claimed she found she was pregnant and when she went to tell Reggie she saw him in bed with another woman and had an abortion, causing her to not be able to have children afterwards. Reggie threatened to tell Seth and blackmailed Betty. When Betty told Seth he sent Reggie packing. In March 2000 Seth was injured in the bus crash and Betty looked after him while he recovered but Seth was mugged in September 2000 and refused to tell Betty. He later told her and broke down in front of her. In 2004 she took an extended holiday to visit Kathy Brookman in Australia and Seth, who had taken an extended holiday out there. Betty returned to Emmerdale that year. Seth remained in Australia. In October 2005, Betty was all ready for Seth to return home and held a welcome home party only to be told that Seth had died on the plane coming over. Seth was buried in November 2005. After Alan Turner had all his issues over his son Terence being found to have abused Steph as teenagers which eventually lead to Terence's death, Betty grew close to Turner in terms of friendship and he then made a pass at her. 2012- Betty returned from her extended holiday in July 2012, having left Emmerdale in late 2011. Actress Paula Tilbrook took a break from the show in late 2011 due to ill health but returned to filming in June and her character returned on the 16th July and was instantly doing what she does best, gossiping. Good old Betty was back. On her birthday in January 2013 Betty got drunk in the Woolpack and had to be escorted home by Victoria Sugden. Betty and Alan Turner went on a cruise shortly afterwards. She was next seen in Episode 6541 (1st May 2013). In July 2013 Betty's landlady Victoria Sugden upset Betty but made it up with a meal, in which Betty fell ill and accused Victoria of spiking her dinner. Memorable info Born: Full Name: Family Father Arthur Prendegast Mother Nora Prendegast Siblings Margaret Spouse Wally Eagleton (1954-1993) See also Betty Eagleton - list of appearances Category:Emmerdale characters. Category:Current characters. Category:Characters first seen in 1994. Category:Prendegast family. Category:Eagleton family. Category:Emmerdale gossips. Category:Pensioners. Category:Woolpack cleaners. Category:1934 births. Category:1954 marriages. Category:Residents of Keepers Cottage.